December 17, 2004 Friday
Blessed, Broken, and Given

"Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it" (Matthew 26:26)

To bless something means to give it value. The Jews thought, apart from a special blessing, their food wouldn't prove to be nutritious to their body, that it had no value. And there's nothing of our wretched existence that holds any value at all, besides that which has been regenerated through the sacrifice at the cross of Jesus Christ. "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24) Paul was saying, "How can I live with purpose when every desire in my flesh is pure vanity!?" Jesus Christ is constantly reminding us that, "Without ME ye can do nothing...from ME is thy fruit found." (John 15:5, Hosea 14:8) A life apart from Christ has no true blessings, holds no true value. Hell is a place with no blessing, a place where fiery reminders of a life completely wasted and ruined burn in unrepentant hearts forever. This is what Christ died to save us from.

"And brake it..." Christ is the master healer, but He's also the master at breaking hearts. "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3) The heart broken over it's sin is bound together stronger than ever with the cords of His salvation. "Bind the sacrifice with cords" (Psalm 118:27). He bound Himself to the cross so that we might bind our lives unto Him alone. Yes, His children are bound in His hands, saved forever, but sometimes He has to tighten His grip. The grape doesn't yield it's precious juice until it's squeezed, and we're in His vineyard; don't be afraid to allow Him to break you!

"And gave it..." After God has broken our hearts, separated us from our sins, and blessed us; He wants to give us. He doesn't refine and sanctify us to put us on display as trophies in His Kingdom, but to be poured out in the midst of a wicked generation that is perishing. The Word of God doesn't teach us to focus on receiving blessings, but to focus on giving them. As His children we've already been given every blessing that has any true value (See Ephesians 1:3), but what are we doing with them? Jesus was blessed above all because everything about His life was focused on the Heavenly. He too was broken, when He saw how corrupt our lives were apart from Him. And then He completely gave Himself, not withholding anything..."he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Phil 2:8) Let Him take your life and bless, brake, and give it unto all!